Biblical Faith
Biblical Faith is a term used to define the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and especially those of Christ and His apostles as recorded in the Holy Bible. Since the death of Christ, the blessedness of believers has been made evident through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This life changing “fruit of the Spirit” spoken of by our Lord as the manifestation of Love in the life of the elect is the hallmark of the God’s Church and is clearly visible in those to whom and through whom His love flows. (John 13, 15)
By biblical we refer to the explicit teaching found concerning faith in the Bible. Phrases like “Faith in Christ,” and “Faith is the substance of things hoped for…” are a small portion of such teachings. We hold all which Gods Word says of and about Faith as the final authority concerning its definition. Faith is God showing us “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:7-9 NKJV) Faith is a process by which the believer comes to God by being given ears to hear and eyes to see Gods Word; a spiritual compulsion to seek after God, the source of spiritual thirst and hunger. Faith is wholly attributable to God. In the deepest spiritual sense our love for God and our neighbors flows from the Spirit of God as Faith in us and strives against the bodies we continue to inhabit. (Romans 7, James 1, Galatians 5)
In human terms Faith is a spiritual manifestation (an undeniable viewable outward demonstration) in the life of the believer which is the deepest form of trust. Trust in God, trust in His Word. Trust that the certain knowledge and heart felt assurance we have received is as real as the tangible elements we can see, touch, hear and taste. Not only is our trust made manifest through faith, it is the this outward demonstration of our trust in God, which is Faith in us, not our faith but Gods gift to us, moving in us and moving us ever closer to Him. Without Faith it is impossible to please God! Faith and Trust are together inseparable, with Faith comes godly fear, godly love and a whole hearted commitment to God the father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Hebrews 11)
Our faith directed love makes us eager to keep the truth, and ready to defend it. For centuries the Church has struggled to maintain purity in doctrine found only in the Bible and its sometimes difficult teachings (Hebrews 5:10,11; 2 Peter 3:16, 17.) From the earliest times Church leaders defended against the errors of those seeking to twist the God’s Word for their own ends. The first circulating apostolic epistles were a direct response to the false teaching circulating in opposition to the truth.
Following the Protestant Reformation beginning in 1517 protestant believers bound together to set down the doctrines of scripture in a concise format, easily assessable to the common people and wholly consistent with the teachings of God’s Holy Word. Additionally these documents were used as a foundation for setting down the teachings of scripture and to form a foundation of agreement among believers with a common bond of understanding and belief directed in faith and a deep desire to remain faithful to the Word of God, these agreements and teachings are commonly referred to as a “Statement of Faith.”
Such statements of faith are common among all Christian denominations today. Even most non-denominational groups have a basic statement of faith, frequently stated as “what we believe” or a basic series of such statements on the church bulletin or a page on the church website. However, the early creeds and confessions remain among the most common of all statements of faith in use today.
It is in this regard that the RCUS and Rehoboth Reformed Chapel subscribe to the “Heidelberg Catechism, ” the “Belgic Confession of Faith,” and the “Synods of Dort” commonly referred to as the “Three Forms of Unity” as our common confession and creed. Members are asked to search the Scriptures to ensure they can agree with these standards as the common foundation of our agreement together in up holding the Holy Scriptures as the only rule of our faith, and we openly discuss the meanings and teaching found within their pages. Within the RCUS the “Three Forms of Unity” are considered subordinate to the Word of God, and useful for instruction in light of the Holy Scriptures, from which they were derived.